XFM Big Night Out - Maximo Park & The Maccabees Live

Maximo Park’s second album was rubbish. The Maccabees have been plodding out the same set for the last two years. The chances of this night out being as big as its name suggests are slim. The possibility of everyone staying in the pub to watch the rugby is high. So how was this gig so bloody good?

Regretfully, Pete and the Pirates are sacrificed in favour of Jonny Wilkinson and “Swing Low Sweet Chariot”, meaning Gigwise is left with a mad dash to catch The Maccabees. They are already onstage as throngs of patriotic gig-goers bustle into the Academy. With the excitement of greetings and jubilation of English victories, the band struggle to press their authority over the hubbub. ‘Toothpaste Kisses’ is lost beneath its own daintiness and the boisterous crowd’s inattentiveness.

Their set needs something to trigger a turnaround. This duly arrives with ‘Latchmere.’ The childish purity of its refrain echoes around with gleeful contagiousness. There’s a gripping nonchalance to Orlando Weeks’ vocals that compliments the jarring riffs and anomalous stage presence. ‘Precious Time’ combines insecure build-up with a tumultuous climax, ‘First Love’ buzzes with a zealous energy that spreads to the crowd and the recovery is complete.

As Maximo Park burst onstage with archetypal enthusiasm, Paul Smith leaping and leering, it’s soon clear their show won’t be typical. Opener ‘The Coast Is Always Changing’ is tight and focused, Smith looks positively manic and the most dismissive of observers can’t help but be hooked. They almost ruin it by playing ‘A Fortnight’s Time’ next, a painfully feeble song including the chorus, “five times five equals twenty-five, don’t you know your times-tables by now?” However, solid playing and Smith’s undeniable passion carry it off.

He orchestrates the tone of the set. When he races around the band is frenetic, when he screws up his face in pantomime anguish they are subtle, giving his showmanship a platform. The bass player still looks like he’s wandered onstage and nobody dares ask him to leave, but with Smith’s histrionics and a hyperactive keyboardist the visual spectacle matches the musical performance.

The explosive catchiness of ‘Apply Some Pressure’ and ‘Our Velocity’ are dispatched amid expected bedlam. ‘Books From Boxes’ adds a winning earnestness to proceedings, while other past singles ‘Going Missing’ and ‘Girls Who Play Guitars’ appease the masses. But the surprise is the triumph of Maximo Park’s less-lauded tracks. ‘Limassol’ is a paranoid riot, while ‘Russian Literature’ manages to be more captivating than pretentious.

‘Graffiti’ closes powerfully, before the night continues with a DJ set from everyone’s second-favourite curly-haired ex-Popworld host. Alex Zane has an easy job; after sporting success, impressive bands and cheap Carling, the mood is elated and the dancefloor full.